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oregon daily emerald
arts & entertainment
march 8, 1985
B_A ROQUE
L/ike any other era in history,
theirs was a time when the
world was filled with turmoil.
There was war and religious
conflict.
But there was also opulence
and grandeur.
Two of the greatest com
posers in music history,
johann Sebastian Bach and
George Frederic Handel, were
born three hundred years ago.
They were born in the same
year and each devoted their
lives to music. But the
similarities end there, for the
two men lived in different
worlds.
Bach’s native Germany was
torn by war — religious causes
and in-fighting. And though
he wrote his music primarily
to the glory of God, it reflects
the religious turmoil of his
homeland.
Bach's music, though writ
ten for religion, represents the
conflict of the day, pitting in
strument against instrument,
voice against voice. There is
no peace here.
But since composers earned
their living writing for the
moneyed class, Bach did his
share of creating for the
aristocracy. Possibly his best
known work, the Brandenburg
Concertos, is a result of that
system of patronage.
And like the religious music
of the day, these concertos
again reflect the turmoil of the
times, with solo instruments
fighting for attention and
dominance over an orchestra.
Not all music of this period
was born and raised in con
flict, as the music of Handel
shows. Unlike Bach, who lived
in near poverty writing for the
church, Handel lived the good
life in England, writing opera
and oratorio for the rich of
Europe.
Earning the equivalent of
$1,500 a year, compared to
Bach's $80, Handel had
already “arrived” at the age of
25.
His first love was opera,
which he wrote for years after
the vast popularity of the
medium was on the wane. But
he is most famous for his
oratorios — opera without the
staging. His “Messiah," writ
ten in a 24-day frenzy, is a
standard of religious holidays.
And finally, as if 1685
wasn’t a big enough year just
because of the birth of Handel
and Bach, in Italy there was
the birth of another composer.
Domenico Scarlatti. At that
time, considered the full
flowering of the Baroque
period, Scarlatti’s music show
ed the way of the future. His
harpischord sonatas, still
popular today, are said to have
influenced latter “classical”
composers, such as Haydn and
Mozart.
Stacia Scarborough
Illustration by Shawn Bird
A rundown of upcoming
Bach celebrations
This year is special
for those of us who
relish classical music
and love birthdays:
1985 is tlie anniver
sary of the birth dates
of baroque cpmposers
C ieorg'e 1 landel.
Johann Sebastian Bach
and Domenico Scarlat
ti. The composers
would, if they were
still a Jive, be dot)
years old this year.
M,embers of Kugepe's
arts community.
proud of the annual
Oregon Bach Festival,
are definitely
celebrating the birth
date of Bach, who was
born March 2 1, 1685.
On Thursday, March
2 1, 1985 several
events are scheduled
in commemoration
and celebration:
Bach’s Birthday B^ish
1 ,ocal entertainment
and arts groups are
, planning the “Bach
Continued on Fane 1H